Negative Urgency Research Articles

Manipulating levels of uncertainty in a decision making task for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The study aims to investigate whether manipulating levels of uncertainty would influence performance in a decision-making task in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This case-control study compares the performance in beads task (measuring reflection/decisional impulsivity) performance and trait impulsivity (Short Urgency-Premeditation-Perseverance-Sensation Seeking-Positive Urgency (UPPS-P)) in patients with OCD (n=65) and non-clinical controls (n=45). Mann Whitney U test was carried out to assess between-group differences. The OCD group had significantly lesser draws to decision (U=1845 , p=.019) and subjective decisional-certainty (U=1518, p=0.00) in the low-uncertainty (85:15) condition , higher scores of negative urgency (U= 2163, p=<0.001) and lower scores on sensation-seeking (U= 907.5, p=.001) in the UPPS-P. However, the comparison of beads task performance does not survive correction for multiple comparisons. Patients with OCD engage in impulsive decision-making in the lower-uncertainty condition in comparison to healthy controls, despite low subjective certainty of the decision. They also had increased scores on the trait impulsivity factor of negative urgency. Future studies may explore the relationship between trait impulsivity as well as the contributions of symptom severity, anxiety and decisional certainty to impulsivity in OCD.

Predicting Alcohol Use in Undergraduates: Interactions Between Social Anxiety and Impulsivity

Background: Links between social anxiety and risky drinking in college are well documented, but the specifics of this relationship are mixed and likely complex. Impulsivity may play a critical role in enhancing vulnerability for risky drinking in individuals with social anxiety. Objectives: Here we examined how impulsivity moderates the relationship between social anxiety and alcohol use in college students. 515 undergraduates (18–24 years) who endorsed at least moderate levels of alcohol use were included. Participants completed self-report questionnaires to quantify social anxiety, impulsive personality traits, and alcohol use. A series of correlations and stepwise linear regressions were conducted to examine social anxiety, impulsivity, biological sex, and their interactions as predictors of amount of alcohol use. Results: We found that multiple facets of impulsivity moderated the relationship between social anxiety and amount of alcohol use. Social anxiety was associated with more alcohol use in participants with high lack of premeditation, while social anxiety was associated with less alcohol use in participants with low lack of premeditation, low negative urgency, and high sensation seeking. Sex interacted with social anxiety; low levels of impulsivity seemed to be protective. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that social anxiety and certain facets of impulsivity (lack of premeditation, sensation seeking) interact to predict alcohol use in undergraduates. These findings highlight the complex and important relationships between social anxiety, impulsivity, and risky drinking in college students.

The effects of hypothetical psychological interventions on alcohol use in European young adults

Abstract Background Low psychosocial well-being (PWB) and high emotion-driven impulsiveness (EDI) are associated with alcohol. Yet, it is unclear whether a hypothetical intervention targeting one or the other in adolescence might be more effective in reducing alcohol consumption (AC) in young adulthood. Therefore, we aimed to compare the separate causal effects of PWB and EDI in adolescence on AC in young adulthood. Methods We included 505 European young adults from the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort (mean age: 20.2 years; age range: 18.2-23.5 years) who did not drink alcohol at study entry. AC was operationalized as the amount of weekly consumed alcoholic beverages (mean: 4.2 drinks per week; range: 0.3-70 drinks per week). EDI was assessed using the negative urgency subscale from the UPPS-P Impulsive Behaviour Scale. PWB was assessed using the KINDLR Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire. Following the principles of target trial emulation, we estimated, separately, the average causal effects of PWB and EDI on AC accounting for relevant confounders and applying a semi-parametric doubly robust method (targeted maximum likelihood estimation). We stratified the results by sex and parental education. Results If all adolescents, hypothetically, had high levels of PWB, compared to low levels, we estimated a decrease in the average amount of alcoholic beverages in young adulthood by 0.1 drinks per week [95%-confidence interval: -2.3; 2.1]. Furthermore, if all adolescents had low levels of EDI, compared to high levels, we estimated an increase in alcoholic beverages in young adulthood by 1.5 drinks per week [0.1; 2.9]. Different effects for sex and parental education groups were found. Conclusions Hypothetical interventions targeting PWB in adolescents were not found to have effects on reducing AC in young adulthood. Interventions targeting EDI, however, would lead to an increase in AC. This may be due to unmeasured confounding and the missing distinction between drinking motives. Key messages • We demonstrate that causal inference methods, compared to traditional ones, improve the robustness of estimated effect measures and address important sources of bias in European cohort data. • To inform public health interventions on reducing alcohol consumption, future research should investigate different drinking motives, e.g. alleviating negative emotions or enhancing positive emotions.

The relations between impulsivity, opioid use, and nonmedical prescription opioid use motives: An examination within three large urban emergency departments.

Impulsivity is a transdiagnostic risk factor for multiple disorders, including opioid use disorders (OUDs). However, scant work has examined if impulsivity facets distinguish individuals reporting nonmedical opioid use from those who use opioids as prescribed, particularly in important settings such as emergency departments (EDs). Further, no studies, to our knowledge, have examined the relations between impulsivity facets and motives for nonmedical prescription opioid use (NMPOU). Using data from EDs, this study examined if impulsivity facets (assessed via the [negative] urgency, premeditation, perseverance, sensation seeking, and positive urgency) related to nonmedical opioid use and if these facets related to OUD severity among individuals reporting past-year opioid use. Among patients reporting past 3-month NMPOU, the relation between motives for use and impulsivity was examined. Results indicated all facets (except lack of perseverance) distinguished patients reporting nonmedical opioid use from individuals abstaining from opioid use and those who used opioids as prescribed, with particularly large effect sizes for positive and negative urgency. Similarly, among patients reporting past 12-month opioid use, all facets (except lack of perseverance) significantly distinguished individuals who were OUD negative from those with severe OUD, with positive and negative urgency showing the strongest relations. Multiple motives were associated with certain UPPS-P facets, particularly positive urgency, negative urgency, and sensation-seeking. Results suggest that the relation between impulsivity and opioid use characteristics varies across facets of impulsivity, with emotion-based impulsivity being the most relevant. Implications for screening and interventions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Prospective examination of how alcohol consumption might drive changes in urgency and drinking motives over the first year of college

Objective: Negative and positive urgency are risk factors for alcohol escalation during college, partly through increasing motives for alcohol use, which then contribute to subsequent drinking. Research has focused on the causal direction from trait to motives to alcohol consumption. The current study conducted an initial test of how alcohol use might drive changes in urgency, and subsequent changes in motives over the first year of college. Participants: 418 first-year college students (Mage = 18.16, 73.7% female, 86.5% White) were sampled at three timepoints. Methods: Mediation models were used to test hypotheses. Results: Alcohol use at baseline predicted increased enhancement motives through increased positive urgency (B = .0028, 95% CI [.0000, .0007]). Alcohol use at baseline did not predict coping motives through changes in negative urgency (B = .0002, 95% CI [-0.0020, .0030]). Conclusions: Changes in positive urgency and enhancement motives secondary to alcohol use appear to occur early in one’s drinking history, making them prime targets for early prevention strategies.

Internalizing symptoms, negative urgency, and coping motives: Potential pathways to alcohol consequences.

Building upon prior research, the present study tested coping motives as a mediator of relations between both negative urgency and internalizing symptoms (depression, anxiety, and stress), and alcohol-related consequences using longitudinal data. We also tested negative urgency as a moderator of prospective relations between specific internalizing symptoms and alcohol-related consequences. The study utilized data from a longitudinal study of young adults (N = 448; Mage = 22.27, SD = 1.25). Participants (56.5% male) were evaluated at baseline and at 12-month and 24-month follow-ups. Mood, impulsivity, coping motives, and alcohol consequences were assessed at baseline, and motives and consequences were assessed at follow-ups. Prospective indirect effects of internalizing symptoms and negative urgency on alcohol consequences through coping motives were not observed. However, cross-sectional post hoc analyses indicated that higher levels of internalizing and negative urgency were indirectly associated with greater alcohol consequences through coping motives, with similar patterns observed for depression, anxiety, and stress. Although support was found for mediated effects in the cross-sectional model, no evidence was found for negative urgency moderating the impact of internalizing, stress, anxiety, or depression on alcohol consequences in either cross-sectional or longitudinal models. Findings provide cross-sectional but not longitudinal support for coping motives as a potential mechanism through which a broad range of internalizing symptoms are associated with alcohol consequences. Findings did not support interactions between negative urgency and internalizing symptoms. The results highlight the need for further exploration of mediated effects using ecological momentary assessments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Factor analysis of impulsivity in gaming disorder and internet gaming disorder

BackgroundResearch suggests that a two-factor model of impulsivity predicts Substance Use Disorder and Gambling Disorder. We aimed to determine whether a similar factor structure was present for Gaming Disorder (GD) and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD).MethodsSecondary data analysis was conducted on survey responses from 372 participants who had completed a series of questions on facets of impulsivity and their involvement in gaming. Participants were sampled from gaming forums and an online recruitment website. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the measures of trait impulsivity, and the identified factors were then analyzed against measures of Gaming Disorder and Internet Gaming Disorder. A confirmatory factor analysis was then run to confirm the model.ResultsThe exploratory results suggested a five-factor model of impulsivity, with gaming being related to all five factors. Interestingly, only two of those factors (Urgency (Positive Urgency, Negative Urgency, Delay Discounting) and (Impaired) Inhibitory Control (False Button Presses on Go/No-Go Tasks)) predicted symptom counts above the clinical cut-off for IGD. In addition, Urgency was related to symptom counts above 7/9 criteria for IGD, as well as symptom counts above the suggested clinical cut-off for GD. The confirmatory factor analysis suggested that this two-factor model of impulsivity had ‘good fit.’ConclusionsThis two-factor model of impulsivity is similar to those found in established addiction disorders, in that one factor appears to predict more problematic involvement than the other. However, the results indicate that Urgency predicts higher symptom counts than (Impaired) Inhibitory Control. This contrasts with previous findings on substance use and gambling, where (Impaired) Inhibitory Control was the factor predicting problematic use. However, there was evidence to suggest that gaming is similar to alcohol consumption, where socially acceptable, “healthy,” use is related to impulsivity at some level, but Urgency is key in the transition from recreational to disordered behavior.

The interplay of negative urgency and cognitive reappraisal in couples' communication conflict.

Little is known about the individual factors that potentiate communication conflict in romantic relationships. This study examined the main and interactive effects of two types of emotion regulation in 1240 couples enrolled in an online relationship intervention. Results revealed that higher levels of actors' communication conflict were associated with actors' greater negative urgency and lower cognitive reappraisal. Furthermore, actors' cognitive reappraisal acted as an inhibitor of communication conflict, but only for actors with low levels of negative urgency. Partner effects on perceived actor conflict followed a similar pattern. There was no evidence that the emotion regulation of one partner moderated the effect of the emotion regulation of the other. These results highlight the importance of considering the contribution of couples' emotion regulation in the etiology of their communication conflict and selecting interventions that best match their emotion regulation needs.

Mediations of executive function, social cognitions, and interpersonal conflict in explaining the impact of self‐esteem on disordered eating: structural equation modelling

AbstractThe complexity of psychological mechanisms in disordered eating behaviours was tested using a nonclinical sample (female adults from English speaking countries, N = 334). Concerning the development and maintenance of disturbed cognition and eating behaviour, theories of self‐esteem, executive function, and emotion regulation as well as interpersonal and transdiagnostic theories and theory of mind were applied with covariates of depression, anxiety, family functioning, and demographic variables. Structural Equation Modelling demonstrated seven variables mediated the impact of self‐esteem upon disordered eating. The theory of mind variable, when measured on the emotion recognition component, was a significant mechanism in explaining both anorexic eating and shape concerns, and bulimic symptoms. Meanwhile, thwarted belongingness, social evaluation, social conflict, and executive function—cognitive flexibility—were suggested mechanisms for shape and weight concerns, and restrictive eating. In contrast, emotion regulation and another executive function variable of negative urgency appeared as mechanisms of bulimic symptoms and behaviours.

Positive and Negative Pathways Linking Depressive Symptoms to Problematic Alcohol Use Among Argentinian College Students: An Examination of Positive and Negative Urgency Traits and Internal Drinking Motives

ABSTRACT Growing evidence suggests the tendency to act rashly under positive and negative emotions and affect-related drinking motives connect symptoms of mood disorders with alcohol-related problems. However, studies examining this sequence are scarce in Latin-American samples. The present study evaluated, in Argentinian college students (n = 403; 68.2% women; Mage = 21.03 ± 4.90), a sequential model of symptoms of depression, urgency traits, internal drinking motives, and problematic alcohol use. Path analysis was conducted to examine the direct and indirect associations between symptoms of depression and problematic alcohol use (heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related negative consequences) via positive and negative urgency traits and internal drinking motives. Findings revealed indirect associations from depressive symptoms to problematic alcohol use via urgency traits and drinking motives (e.g. depression symptoms→positive [negative] urgency→enhancement [coping]→drinking problems). This suggests that students who experience more symptoms of depression may be more likely to react to these experiences of negative affect by engaging in heavy drinking episodes and encounter more alcohol-related problems. This seems to stem from a higher propensity to act rashly during intense emotional experiences and a greater motivation to drink as a means of regulating their mood. Future interventions aimed at preventing or reducing problematic alcohol use (especially among Argentinian young adults) might consider targeting these specific impulsivity traits as well as affect-related drinking motivations.

Negative and positive urgency as pathways in the intergenerational transmission of suicide risk in childhood.

Parental suicide attempts and suicide death increase suicide risk in their offspring. High levels of impulsivity have been observed in families at high risk for suicide. Impulsivity, a highly heritable trait that is especially elevated in childhood, is frequently measured with the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, which includes negative urgency, positive urgency, sensation seeking, premeditation, and perseverance. Our study examined the association between the UPPS-P facets and suicide ideation (without suicide attempts) and suicide attempts at baseline and first-time endorsement within the next two years in childhood. We also examined how the UPPS-P facets mediated the association between parental suicide attempts and suicide death and offspring first-time suicide ideation and attempts at follow-up. The sample was 9,194 children (48.4% female; 9-10 years old) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, assessed yearly three times. At Time 1 (T1), caregivers reported on suicide attempts and suicide deaths (combined) of the biological parents. Caregivers and children reported on suicide ideation and attempts in the KSADS-PL DSM-5 at each time point, T1 and follow-up (T2 and/or T3). The Short UPPS-P Scale (child-report) assessed the impulsivity facets at T1, which were computed as latent variables. At T1, 6.7% of children had a parent who had attempted or died by suicide. Most UPPS-P facets were associated with suicide ideation and attempts at T1 and T2/T3. In adjusted models, parental suicide attempts and suicide death were associated with offspring negative and positive urgency. In mediation models, parental suicide attempts and suicide death had an indirect effect on offspring first-time suicide ideation at T2/T3 through negative urgency (OR = 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.08) and positive urgency (OR = 1.03, 95% CI, 1.01-1.05). Similar results were found for first-time suicide attempts at T2/T3. Our findings support an impulsive pathway in the familial transmission of suicide risk. For all youth, interventions that target multiple UPPS-P facets may help prevent or reduce suicide risk. For offspring whose parents have attempted or died by suicide, clinicians should pay particular attention to children who impulsively act on extreme emotions, as they may be at higher suicide risk.

Drinking motives and alcohol sensitivity mediate multi-dimensional genetic influences on alcohol use behaviors.

Genetic influences account for a substantial proportion of individual differences in alcohol use behaviors (AUBs). However, multiple distinct sets of genes are linked to different AUBs, which may explain their dramatic variability in risk factors and manifestations. In this study, we explore whether intermediate neurobiological traits and alcohol-related cognitions mediate the relationship between polygenic scores (PGS) and multiple AUBs, with the aim to better understand processes captured by different genetic profiles. Using results from prior genome-wide association studies, we derived PGS for 6 AUBs in participants from Spit for Science, a longitudinal study of college students in the U.S. (n=4,549). Self-report measures included personality traits, alcohol expectancies, drinking motivations, and alcohol sensitivity measures as well as drinking frequency, drinking quantity, alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms, and maximum drinks in 24 hours. Using linear regression and multiple mediation models, we investigated the direct and indirect effects of PGS on AUBs. In univariable regression results, PGSs indexing broad AUB dimensions such as drinks per week (DPW) and AUD predicted higher levels of sensation-seeking and multiple drinking motives, while BeerPref PGSs (indexing a variable pattern of alcohol problems associated with a preference for beer) predicted higher negative urgency and lower alcohol sensitivity. Mediational models indicated strong direct and indirect effects of DPW PGSs on multiple AUBs via social/enhancement drinking motives and alcohol sensitivity, indirect effects of AUD PGSs on AUD symptoms via coping motives, and indirect effects of BeerPref PGS on all AUBs via the joint effect of mediators including alcohol sensitivity. These findings provide initial evidence that the genetic influences on different AUBs are associated with and partially mediated by intermediate neurobiological and cognitive factors, which may be more amenable to intervention. Greater focus on drinking motives and alcohol sensitivity is warranted in genetic research, as well as attention to the heterogeneous pathways linking genes to alcohol use outcomes.

Clinical characteristics associated with problematic pornography use among individuals seeking treatment for opioid use disorder

AbstractBackground and AimsMany jurisdictions are experiencing opioid epidemics. Opioid use disorder (OUD) often co-occurs with other psychiatric disorders including behavioral addictions like gambling disorder. However, little is known regarding the frequency and correlates of problematic pornography use (PPU) among people seeking treatment for OUD. Here we aimed to investigate PPU and its correlates in people seeking OUD treatment.MethodFrom October 2018 to March 2020, 1,272 individuals seeking OUD treatment were screened for PPU by completing the Brief Pornography Screen (BPS), a 5-item instrument validated for assessing PPU. Self-reported data were used.ResultsAmong the sample there were 707 (60%) males and 565 (40%) females. The mean age of participants was 37.9 ± 10.5 years (range 18–73), there were 707 (60%) males and 565 (40%) females, 14.4% (n = 183) exhibited low positive BPS scores (1 ≤ score ≤4), and 4.5% of the sample (n = 57) screened positive for PPU (BPS score ≥4). Individuals screening positive for PPU versus negative were mostly male (77%), scored higher on measures of impulsivity in the domains of positive urgency, negative urgency, and sensation-seeking and demonstrated more psychopathology on measures of substance use, psychotic symptoms, emotional lability, depression/functioning and self-harm.Discussion and ConclusionA minority of individuals seeking treatment for OUD screened positive for PPU. Among individuals with OUD, those screening positive (versus negative) for PPU were more impulsive and experienced more psychiatric symptoms, suggesting the need for additional investigation and screening for and addressing PPU in people with OUD.

Testing a Reward-Processing Model of Negative Urgency in Women With and Without Binge Eating

Negative urgency (i.e., the tendency to act impulsively when experiencing negative affect) is robustly associated with psychopathology, but the mechanisms underlying negative urgency and its relation to mental health are not well understood. In addition to interfering with cognitive control, negative emotions may lead to impulsive behavior by enhancing reward processing of desired stimuli. In this study, we tested an emotion-enhanced reward-processing model of negative urgency in 153 women who spanned the spectrum of binge-eating severity. Participants completed two experimental tasks under both stressful- and relaxed-mood conditions while physiological, behavioral, and self-report indices of reward processing of palatable food were assessed. Contrary to hypotheses, reward processing of food was not heightened when stressed versus relaxed either in the full sample or in participants with greater negative urgency or binge-eating frequency/severity. Findings are discussed considering study limitations and previous mechanistic work on negative urgency.

What drives problematic Bitcoin investment behavior?: The role of financial literacy

PurposeAlongside its remarkable growth, problematic Bitcoin investment (BI) behavior and its associated negative consequences have become prevalent, and only a few studies have examined it. Therefore, this study aims to examine problematic BI behavior by investigating its specific antecedents and consequences and identifying which antecedents were more influential in it. In addition, we also examine the role of financial literacy on the relationship between the antecedents and problematic BI behavior.Design/methodology/approachWe collected survey data from 413 investors with Bitcoin investment experience in 2018, when a Bitcoin frenzy occurred. The partial least squares method was used to test the proposed research model.FindingsThe results show that prudent, negative urgency, overexpectation and sensation seeking are positively associated with problematic BI behavior, while restraint is negatively associated. Problematic BI behavior is negatively related to investor well-being. Our findings also indicate that both objective and subjective financial literacy moderate the relationship between the antecedents and problematic BI behavior. Four types of investors in terms of their objective and subjective Bitcoin knowledge show different patterns in the relationship between the antecedents and problematic BI behavior.Originality/valueThis study offers insights for researchers by providing a deeper understanding of the contextual antecedents of problematic BI behavior and the role of financial literacy in it. This study provides detailed implications for financial institutions, policymakers, and regulators to guide rational Bitcoin investment behaviors.

ADHD: prevalence and effect on opioid use disorder treatment outcome in a French sample of patients receiving medication for opioid use disorder—the influence of impulsivity as a mediating factor

BackgroundOpioid use disorder (OUD) poses a global health challenge, and despite medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and psychosocial interventions, relapse remains a significant concern. Comorbid psychiatric disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), are one of the major factors associated with poor OUD treatment outcome. We aimed to estimate the frequency of probable ADHD (in childhood and in adulthood) in patients with OUD; to assess the factors associated with this comorbidity; and to explore the factors that mediate the relationship between ADHD and OUD treatment outcome.MethodsWe conducted an observational study using a sample of 229 patients aged 18 years and older who were diagnosed with OUD and had received MOUD for at least six months. Participants were assessed through a structured interview and self-report questionnaires. Multivariate logistic regressions and a mediation analysis were performed.ResultsAlmost half of the participants reported probable ADHD in childhood, and ADHD persisted into adulthood among two-thirds of the patients. The factors associated with poor OUD treatment outcome included earlier onset of OUD, lower education, and greater impulsivity. There was no direct effect of probable ADHD in childhood on OUD treatment outcome, but there was an indirect effect through negative urgency, the tendency to respond impulsively to negatively connoted emotional experiences.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that ADHD symptoms, particularly impulsivity, may contribute to vulnerability in opioid use and play a crucial role in treatment outcomes for this population.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials identifier NCT01847729.

Impulsivity in antisocial personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder in prison population

This study examined impulsivity in antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) in the context of criminal offending. Participants completed the Demographic, Criminal, and Institutional Behavior Interview, the International Personality Disorder Examination, the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, and the Impulsive Behavior Scale, that the APD and OCPD groups can commit the same crimes (against people and against objects). The results revealed that ASPD and OCPD groups can commit the same crimes (against human and against objects), although they differ in terms of impulsivity [Negative Urgency (UN), Sensation Seeking (BS) and Positive Urgency (UP)], with the OCPD group scoring lower on these dimensions. In the ASPD group, those who had committed crimes against human scored higher in UN, BS and UP than those who had committed crimes against objects. In the OCPD group, those who had committed crimes against human scored higher on UN and lower on BS and UP than those who had committed crimes against objects. The importance of analyzing personality disorder profiles for a better understanding of criminal behavior is emphasized.

A sense of urgency: Trait impulsivity in co-occurring bipolar and alcohol use disorder.

Bipolar disorder (BD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) often co-occur, with BD + AUD characterized by higher levels of impulsivity relative to either disorder alone. Emotional facets of impulsivity (e.g., "urgency," measured by the UPPS-P), however, remain underexplored in this population and could have distinct associations with clinical correlates. This cross-sectional study used a two-by-two (BDxAD) factorial design, including groups with BD + AD (n = 28), BD (n = 29), AD (n = 28), and healthy controls (HC) (n = 27), to identify between-group differences among the five subscales of the UPPS-P. Associations of UPPS-P subscales with Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) total scores and clinical variables of interest were also examined. BD + AD had the highest scores for every UPPS-P subscale but Sensation Seeking, with the Positive and Negative Urgency subscales having the largest main effects for both BD and AD. BIS-11 total scores were most correlated with the urgency subscales of the UPPS-P. Negative Urgency was found to be uniquely relevant to clinical measures in the BD + AD group. Rapid cycling was associated with both urgency subscales and BIS-11 scores, and the Alcohol Dependence Scale was most correlated with the Premeditation subscale. Cross sectional design and predominantly white sample. Unlike the BIS-11, UPPS-P is able to distinguish emotional from nonemotional facets of impulsivity, something especially relevant to people with co-occurring BD + AD, where fluid emotionality is a key part of symptom presentation. For this reason, the UPPS-P should be utilized in future studies and clinical settings measuring trait impulsivity in this population.

Longitudinal associations between five factor model and impulsive personality traits and PTSD symptoms: Findings from the AURORA study

We used data from the Advancing Understanding of Recovery after Trauma (AURORA) study to investigate prospective links between five factor model and impulsive personality traits and PTSD symptoms at baseline (N = 2943),three-months post-trauma (N = 2400), and one-year post-trauma (N = 1591) in individualsrecruited from emergency departments within 72 h of trauma exposure. Neuroticism and Negative Urgency bore the largest relations (rs > 0.30) to nearly all individual PTSD symptoms and symptom total at all time points. Neuroticism was an incremental predictor of every PTSD symptom at each time point. Low Agreeableness and low Conscientiousness were incremental predictorsof several PTSD symptoms. These findings highlight personality assessment as an efficient, effective screening tool for PTSD risk.

Adverse childhood experiences, health risk factors, and significant problems with substances and behaviors among U.S. college students.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are often associated with higher rates of mental health issues and problematic behaviors within the U.S. college population. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to investigate the current associations among ACEs, six psychosocial risk factors for poor health (i.e., anxiety, depression, loneliness, negative urgency, positive urgency, and stress), and significant behavioral and substance problems in a large sample of college students (N = 1,993). Overall, 72.3% of participants reported one or more ACEs, with 21.7% reporting at least five of these experiences; the most prevalent ACE types were emotional abuse (51.7%) and parental mental illness (33.8%). Cumulative ACEs were positively associated with all health risk factors, rs =.07-.38, ps ≤.001, and these ACE scores were most connected to student problems with alcohol, overeating, and sex, rs =.19-.22, ps <.001. Furthermore, using logistic regression, cumulative ACEs predicted which students were more likely to report behavioral problems, OR = 1.08, 95% CI [1.03, 1.14]; substance problems, OR = 1.16, 95% CI [1.07, 1.26]; and both types of problems, OR = 1.28, 95% CI [1.20, 1.36], relative to students without these problems. Aside from ACEs, higher anxiety was the only other risk factor all three problem types shared. Collectively, these findings highlight the differential impact of ACEs and other psychosocial risk factors on the susceptibility of college students to particular forms of maladaptive coping and suggest potential targets for intervention and prevention efforts in these areas.